Love Hina The Saga Continues
by Doc Forrest
Summary: A new tenant at the Hinatasou... New romances, new experiences, new holes in the wall? Updated 2nd May 2005 Gomen for the lengthy wait...14 months
1. Disclaimer

Just a disclaimer to start with:  
  
1. I do not own Love Hina, its characters or its derivative works; Ken Akamatsu and TV Tokyo do.  
  
2. I do, however, own the character 'Doc Forrest', mainly because he is me.  
  
2.a The character 'Daniel Saunders' belongs to a co-contributor, and is subject to the same rules of copyright.  
  
2.b All other characters entered into this story belong to their creators.  
  
3. If you do not agree with this, then deal with it in your own manner because I really don't care.  
  
Thank you for your consideration  
  
doc_Forrest 


	2. Prologue

Love Hina - The Saga Continues  
  
Chapter 0 - Prologue  
  
Set approximately 2 years after the original series, movies and OAVs (I started writing this before I read the mangas), Keitaro and Naru are finally married, and along with Keitaro's half sister Kanako, running the Hinatasou. The other residents are still living in their dormitories, and are now considered permanent fixtures in their rooms. However, the Inn's revneue is dropping, and Kanako has an idea...  
  
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"WHAT?!?" Both Keitaro and Naru were incredulous.  
  
"I'm serious, the empty rooms need to be filled with paying residents, or I'm raising the rent." Kanako Urashima was as stone-faced as ever.  
  
"What were those empty rooms again? I can't remember..." Naru asked her sister-in-law.  
  
"Well, there's 205 for one; which reminds me, brother dear, that hole in my floor _still_ needs fixing; and about another two on the third floor, so there's three rooms altogether," Kanako counted off on her fingers.  
  
"Uh, don't you think you should talk to the others first?" Keitaro asked nervously, not wanting to go flying through the roof due to one of his sister's 'improvements'.  
  
"Already did; as long as rent stayed the same, they don't care if any more men moved in. So, I put some fliers up around Toudai for the foreign exchange suckers-- I mean students, to grab..." With that, Kanako left the conclusion of that remark known.  
  
"Gaah... Don't you know what it was LIKE for me when I first arrived? The poor guy we get in here will be creamed!" Keitaro moaned, also thinking of the one-woman space program he eventually married. Suddenly, Kanako's mobile phone rang.  
  
"Yes, this is Kanako... yes, there are two rooms adjacent to oeach other... yes, if you pay two lots of rent, one for each room... great. See you in two hours."  
  
"So, who was that?" Naru asked, on edge after hearing Kanako's side of the conversation.  
  
"Your new tenant. He's arriving here within two hours." Kanako left the table.  
  
"Oh, okay... WHAT?!?!?" The coin dripped in both their minds.  
  
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Okay, this may be a little short, but deal.  
  
Read and review, please. 


	3. Enter The New Guy

Love Hina - The Saga Continues  
  
Chapter 1 - Enter the New Guy  
  
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"Ugh... I really shouldn't have crammed the lab into my bag... even that's a bit too much," 'Doc' Forrest King groaned after finding himself at the bottom of the stairs leading to his new home. "Is this even the right place?" Looking at the leaflet he found at Toudai in one of the bins (incidentally, there were an awful lot of them, as if someone did not want anyone to go there), he remembered what the the two jokers in his lecture said... called themselves Shirai and Haitani, he thought.  
  
Suddenly, a large explosion emananted from the top of the hill. "Good, this _is_ the place," 'Doc' smiled, remembering the sound the two jokers made while they were messing around in the lab class... last he had seen of them, they were picking themselves up after an incident involving hydrogen gas, a lit bunsen burner, and their eyebrows.  
  
He climbed the stairs, and was shocked at what he saw...  
  
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There was a blur around the whole building as the other residents and the two married managers chased Kanako with their various weapons-of-not-so-mass-destruction with the express intention of causing mayhem towards the latter person. After a few circuits, 'Doc' had had enough.  
  
Doc whistled loudly. Kanako lifted her head to face the origin of the whistle, and saw the new tenant standing at the top of the stairs. SHe broke out of the madly accelerating ellipse and stood beside Doc. Keitaro noticed the absence of his half-sister and hit the breaks. Too late did teh rest of them notice this, resulting in a pile of bodies with Keitaro on the bottom.  
  
"Please excuse the human heap; they weren't too pleased when they found about your arrival," Kanako apologised for the others.  
  
"Apologies are not needed, thank you. Although I _was_ under the impression that this was an all-female establishment..." Doc replied with some degree of bemusement.  
  
"IT IS!" The pile yelled out, now dispersing into their individual components.  
  
"...No longer, although some sections are still restricted, such as the hot springs," Kanako interrupted. "Now, I must introduce you to your new neighbours."  
  
"Introductions are not necessary, this man will not be staying," a woman of similar height to Doc's, with long black hair and wielding a sword of some description, insisted.  
  
"Well, if your tenants seem to be so against my residing at this establishment, I'll take my business and two months rent payment in advance and find somewhere that has two rooms free." Doc went to go down the stairs. Suddenly, another woman, with short ash-blonde hair grabbed his arm and spun him around.  
  
"Not so fast... I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement..." Unfortunatley, the momentum imparted to Doc from this woman was sufficient to cause him to lose balance on the top step.  
  
"WhooaaAAAGGH!" *ugh* *ooh* *aah* *CRUMP* "Ow..." Doc landed at the feet of three _really_ old men.  
  
"He hit every one of those stairs..." said one.  
  
"No, he didn't." said the second.  
  
A rock fell down the stairs, eventually hitting Doc square on the head. "Ow..." Doc moaned.  
  
"_Now_, he's hit every stair." finished the third man, and they left.  
  
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As before, please read and review. This is very much a work in progress. 


	4. Some Tea, Some Home Brew

Love Hina - The Saga Continues  
  
Chapter 2 - Some Tea, Some Home Brew  
  
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Some broken bones later, Doc enters the teahouse. A broken arm and leg were not about to stop him moving into his new home.  
  
"Are you sure that you want to stay? There's a lot more to this group than it seems..." Haruka asked as she poured a cup of tea for herself and Doc.  
  
"It's not as if I can ask for my rooms back, is it? Those have already been reallocated as lecture theatres after the reconstruction work finishes," Doc explained as he sipped his tea. "Besides, places with two rooms for rent are as rare as hen's teeth here."  
  
"I'm sorry? I'm not quite getting what you mean there."  
  
"Extremely rare."  
  
"Aah. May I ask why you need a second room? You only have two bags."  
  
"Well, where I'm from, a man needs a hiding place from the outside world where he can create whatever his mind desires. Somewhere he can be at one with his own thoughts. Somewhere he can brew his own beer. In short, a shed, or a workshop."  
  
"You want to make home brew..." Haruka concluded.  
  
"Among other things, yes." Haruka got up and walked to a nearby cupboard.  
  
"I still have some of my old home brew tools from five years ago; be careful which water you use, though. THe last batch Seta and I made used water from the springs. It had some interesting side effects..."  
  
"Such as...?" Doc was curious. Haruka sweatdropped.  
  
"You don't wanna know."  
  
------  
  
FLASHBACK mode ON  
  
"Uurgh... my head... what happened?"  
  
"We tried to recreate that scene from Caligula."  
  
"Not _that_ scene... That would explain Kitsune being here as well."  
  
"Dump that stuff, NOW!"  
  
FLASHBACK mode OFF  
  
------  
  
"Anyway, thanks for the tea. I'd better be off now."  
  
"See you around. Bring some home brew when it's finished, will ya?"  
  
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"Thank you for your hospitality, and for allowing me to stay here," Doc thanked Keitaro.  
  
"Please, thank my sister when you see her again. You still have to meet the rest of the residents here, don't you?" Keitaro replied, helping Doc to unload his larger bag (clothes and such).  
  
"I don't know... some of them really don't want me here, the one with the sword in particular." Doc was a little apprehensive.  
  
"Oh, Motoko was like that - no, it was worse - when she and I first met," Keitaro winced as he remembered, "but our understanding and respect of each other grew with the years. A word of warning, however, _never_ make her angry - it could be fatal for you."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind. Is there anything else I should know about her or the other residents?" Doc was now taking notes.  
  
"Well..."  
  
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As before, please read and review. The next chapter will be a little while in coming, as I have not finished writing it. 


	5. Revelations At Breakfast

Love Hina - The Saga Continues  
  
Chapter 3 - Revelations At Breakfast  
  
Note: This should throw a curve ball into what has already been an interesting series so far. Hopefully I can pull this off without sounding too unrealistic (in the LH sense, anyway).  
  
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"Uugh... exhausting night... can't keep awake... zzz..." Doc fell asleep again. With his back against the wall, and his head on a chair.  
  
There was a quiet knock at the door. There was a crash. "Ow..."  
  
"Um, Sir, breakfast is ready," a young voice called from outside.  
  
"Coming... damn, it happened again," Doc called out, then cursed under his breath. They might already know, but he could not take the chance of them finding out by accident. He had to tell them the truth... later.  
  
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"Sorry if I woke you before, but everyone is eager to meet you," a young lady with short blue hair, whom Doc recalled as being Shinobu Maehara, apologised.  
  
"No need for apologies, Miss Maehara, I wanted to meet everyone properly. Could you please pass me my green bag? I have some gifts for all the residents." Shinobu passed Doc the bag in question.  
  
`Auu, he's so formal` thought Shinobu. "See you downstairs!" With that, she ran from him.  
  
`Phew...` Doc thought, then concentrated on a space downstairs. He then fell out of existence.  
  
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"AAAGGH!" *CLUNK* "Ow..." Doc limped into the dining room, a bruise forming on his head.  
  
"Heey new guy!" A hyperactive teenager with blonde hair and tanned skin bounced over to Doc, almost landing on him. "What's in the bag? Huh? Is it tasty?"  
  
"Jeez Su, get off of him! He just wants to introduce himself to us, don't you Doc?" Keitaro spoke calmly, as if he had had a peaceful night. Doc snapped to attention.  
  
"Uh, right. Good morning, my name is Forrest King; I apologise for my bad Japanese in advance. I am twenty-one, and I am currently undertaking a degree in Applied Sciences at Toudai, where I specialise in unexplained phenomena." Doc shifted nervously on his feet as they all scrutinised him.  
  
"Unexplained phenomena, eh? Such as aliens, Mr King?" the one with the ash blonde hair asked him. Doc grabbed his notebook from his bag and flipped it to the appropriate page. Mitsune Konno, age 22, alias 'Kitsune' (sly fox), room 205.  
  
"Nothing as extraterrestrial, Miss Konno. And please, all of you, call me Doc."  
  
"Only if you call me Kitsune; Miss Konno makes me feel old," Kitsune slithered over to Doc in an obvious attempt to flirt with him.  
  
"Uh, okay Kitsune. I hear you are a mystery fan, so..." Doc reached into his bag, and pulled out various mystery novels,"...these should help you pass the time."  
  
"Gee, woulda preferred some sake, but thanks anyway 'hot stuff'," Kitsune grinned as Doc blushed.  
  
"Okay... next is Miss Maehara," Doc turned to Shinobu.  
  
"Please, Shinobu is fine Doc-sempai. What unexplained phenomena do you study?" Shinobu was blushing slightly as she asked.  
  
"Oh, various things. For instance, why does Keitaro, when he is punched into low orbit, an interesting occurrence in itself, return with barely a scratch? You know, that sort of thing. Now, since you're the chef of this establishment..." Doc reaches further into his bag, drawing raised eyebrows from some of the residents. "...An Australian cookbook would seem to be a good gift for you."  
  
"Thank you, Doc-sempai." Shinobu was blushing a little harder now.  
  
"Heey Doc! What've you got for me Is it tasty?" Kaolla Su jumped onto Doc's back.  
  
"Oof! I don't know about tasty, but - stop licking me! - it is definitely funky..." Doc shrugged Su off, then reached into his bag, up to his upper arm - this time, raising both eyebrows on each of the others - and pulled out a wad of CDs. "This should be funky enough - the one hundred greatest disco tracks ever!"  
  
"Yea! Play that funky music, white boy!" sang Su as she danced away.  
  
"Indeed." Doc turned to Kanako. "Miss Kanako, I still have to thank you for allowing me to stay here. As promised, two months rent payment," he said as he handed over a wad of 1000 yen notes, "and a little something from my collection... where is it?" mused Doc as he shoved his head into the bag. This time, eyes popped out as Doc was pulled into his own bag. The bag jumped around, bulged out, then stood still.  
  
"Uh, what should we do now?" Naru asked her husband. He looked at the bag. Suddenly, a muffled scream emanated from somewhere within the bag.  
  
"MMPH MMPH MMMPH!" Keitaro thrust his arm into the bag, and pulled out a rather scratched Doc, a pile of old books under one arm, and a sheathed bastard sword and a set of boxing gloves under the other.  
  
"Thanks... how'd you know what I was screaming?" Doc asked, exhausted.  
  
"Believe me, it comes with experience," Keitaro replied, chuckling.  
  
"Right. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Kanako's gift. I forgot they were in the restricted section. Here you go," Doc turned to Kanako and handed her several H.P. Lovecraft novels, "here you go," he continued turning to Keitaru and handing him a copy of The Illuminatus Trilogy, "and here you go," finishing up with Naru and the set of boxing gloves.  
  
"Uh... thanks?" was all that Naru could manage.  
  
"Forgive me for asking, Mr King, but what kind of bag is that?" Motoko asked Doc.  
  
"Funny you should ask, Miss Aoyama. This bag came to be after a rather catastrophic accident. I was performing experiments into the phenomenon known as hammerspace," Doc began, facing sheepish looks from the female residents, "I found that by melting certain objects into the strap of a bag, I was able to impue that bag with the ability to access hammerspace."  
  
"Really? What things are those?" bounced Su.  
  
"Unfortunately I do not remember Su, because that's when the accident occurred, changing me into what I am now," moaned Doc.  
  
"What accident? What are you now? asked Kitsune. Doc sighed.  
  
"It turned me into this," he said, disappeared from sight, and reappeared two metres above the floor. Doc Forrest hit the floor soon after that. "Aaurgh... I HATE it when that happens." He got up and continued, "It gave me the curse of quantum phase shifting."  
  
"Five minutes ago, that would have really shocked me," deadpanned Motoko.  
  
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As before, please read and review. The next chapter will be a little while in coming, as I have just begun to write it. 


	6. Explanations and Propositions

Love Hina - The Saga Continues  
  
Chapter 4 – Explanations and Propositions  
  
This should explain what happened, what with the accident and all.  
  
One thing, // means a journal entry.  
  
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//After the initial excitement of having someone who can 'teleport', as Naru so quaintly put it later on, things got back to what can be termed as 'normal' somewhat. However, even after a week since my arrival, Motoko still regards me with a certain degree of mistrust. I can't read her as well as the others, so I take my life into my hands every time I talk to her...//  
  
"Shinobu-chan, where's Motoko-chan?" Doc called from his room.  
  
"She should be on the roof!" came the reply from the kitchen.  
  
"Practicing her Kendo again... This will be dangerous," Doc muttered under his breath as he walked outside, grabbing his scabbard and sword. "How am I going to talk to her without being thrown?" Walking up the stairs, he sees Motoko meditating, so he decides to join her.  
  
"You have a strange aura, Doc-san. You are disturbed about something. You wish to talk to me, but you fear the consequences of my possible wrath. I will allow you to talk to me, but one false move and I will send you to Mt Fujiyama by air."  
  
Motoko was quite calm, recognising Doc's erratic ki signature. Sitting in front of her, doc was in awe of how accurate her words were.  
  
"Motoko-san, I understand that you do not trust me as yet; I realise that this is due in part to your training to identify unknown and possibly hostile personnel. However, there is something else. What is the other reason for your distrust of me?" Doc hoped that this was not worth an Air Male experience. Motoko opened her eyes.  
  
"Doc-san, you said that you study unexplained phenomena as part of your degree. Under that definition, my ki blasts would be classed as unexplained phenomena. I do not wish for them or myself to be a part of your scientific findings. As I don't know what you are capable of, I cannot give you my trust."  
  
"Fair enough, I will respect your request. You have a question for me, don't you Motoko-san?"  
  
"There are two things I wish to ask you. The first is about your accident, and the second is about your sword."  
  
Doc sighed. He was afraid that he would end up telling the wrong person about the accident, but he felt that he could trust Motoko.  
  
"Ask away, Motoko-san."  
  
"I had heard that there was an explosion in one of the chemistry labs on-campus a few months ago. I now believe that you were involved in that explosion. My first question is this: what did you do to make yourself able to 'teleport' and induce hammerspace access in your bag?"  
  
"Well, my recollection is a bit sketchy, but this is what happened before the explosion..."  
  
-----------------  
  
Flashback mode=on  
  
"Yes, Yamaguchi-sempai, I believe that I have enough of the raw material to start the initial tests... yes, Yamaguchi-sempai, you can have a rest now... don't worry, the bruising _should_ heal in a week... yeah, _that_, on the other hand, might need some surgery to remove it... don't worry, I'll cover up the details. I'll say you were in a skiing accident... okay. I'll see you in a fortnight. Bye!"  
  
Doc hung up. Three days of sample gathering from hammers, swords, rubber mallets, spatulas, frying pans and other hammerspace implements of general whacking and torture had yielded enough residue to fill a small beaker...  
  
Of course, the professor of the course was nursing three days worth of poundings, but shit happens when you're a pervert.  
  
"Anyway, back to the testing," Doc thought. "First, dissolve in some warmed ethanol..." The beaker then starts spitting as the residue dissolved.  
  
"Ah crap, it's on my bag..."  
  
...  
  
"YAAAAGH! It's on my face!" Grabbing his bag to shield his face, Doc cowered behind the bench. The ethanol finished evaporating, leaving the residue to be dry-heated. Then it happened...  
  
Flashback mode=off  
  
------------------  
  
"They say I was found a block away from the fire with minor scalding to my face. I think that was the first time I underwent Q-shift, and since then I have been cursed, or blessed if you think of it like that, with the ability to slip in and out of Q-space," Doc finished.  
  
"Now I understand why you didn't want to talk about that. Okay, second question: what's with the sword?"  
  
"That's easier to explain. That was the first thing I pulled out of my bag after the accident, and it's kinda stuck with me since." Doc shrugged.  
  
"Okay. I see a possible arrangement between us. You need help controlling your… what did you call it?" Motoko asked Doc.  
  
"Q-shifting."  
  
"Right. I need help with my University work. I believe that we can come to some form of agreement?" Motoko proposed her idea to Doc. He smiled.  
  
"Yes, I believe we can. We can start in a week?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Thank you again..."  
  
Motoko was curious. "For what?"  
  
"For not sending me flying."  
  
"You did not do anything to deserve that." With that, Doc went back to his workshop.  
  
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//…Today, I had a good discussion with Motoko. I wish she didn't ask me about the accident, though. Apart from that, we reached an agreement – she will teach me to control the Q-shift, and in return I will help her with her homework. It's nice top be appreciated for who I am, not what I am.//  
  
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Some definitions before I go:  
  
Q-shift - quantum phase shift (what one undergoes to 'teleport')  
  
Q-space - quantum space (the realm of hammer-space, and where one passes through whilst teleporting)  
  
Again, please read and review. 


	7. Not Another One?

Love Hina - The Saga Continues  
  
Chapter 5 – Not Another One!!!  
  
Here enters the contributions of a friend of mine. He wanted in after reading the first few chapters.  
  
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Kanako looked at the clock, while milling over her breakfast.  
  
"Oh crap, the new guy gets here in 10 minutes!" she said, and leapt up.  
  
Naru looked up from her bowl. "Uh, _what_ new guy?"  
  
Kanako stopped as she walked out of the room. "He's taking the room next to Keitaro's. Another Australian. Advance rent too..."  
  
"Have you talked to the others?" said Naru, incredulously.  
  
"No, but they should be fine with it," said Kanako.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
An extremely tall person, by Japanese standards, staggered up the stairs leading to Hinata Inn. He's dressed in a black T-Shirt, Denim Jeans, and polished black Military-Issue boots. He's got a large pack containing most of his belongings, and a shoulder bag containing his Discman, which he listens to with a pair of large DJ headphones. "Jeez, they couldn't put it on a higher hilltop, could they?"  
  
"Still, gotta wonder how that pamphlet made it into my bag..."  
  
(--- Flashback to Hostel where Daniel used to live ---)  
  
Daniel looks at the time on his PC.  
  
"Sheez, its 2am, I should hit the sack soon...but where is that disk with the updated user IDs???"  
  
He picks up his bag, and starts rummaging through it.  
  
"Eh? What's this?" he says, as he pulls out a pamphlet, and tries to read the Japanese.  
  
"For Rent, 3 rooms, 5000 Yen per week, plus expenses, 4 weeks bond, Hinata Inn, to share with 6 Women, 1 Man, available from....TWO WEEKS AGO??? But, if it's still free...sounds pretty good to me! Now, where's my phone..."  
  
Daniel searches his bag some more, pulls out his mobile phone, and dials the number listed.  
  
"Hello? My name's Daniel... I didn't wake you up did I? Good....Look, I was wondering if there was still a room available...Others who want to rent? That's okay.... Bond? Oh yeah, I can pay bond...Is 2 months okay? Oh, it's nothing, I'd just like to find a place quick...Excellent. When can I move in? Straight away? How does tomorrow mor...I mean, later this morning sound? Great! See you then! Thank you. Bye..."  
  
Daniel leaps into the air. "YES!"  
  
He then looks at the mess around the room at the hostel. "Crap. Better start packing...."  
  
(--- End Flashback ---)  
  
Daniel reaches the top of the stairs. puffing "Finally....what the?"  
  
Kanako is running, at full pelt, with most of the other tenants running behind her.  
  
"You said you'd never do that again!" shouts Kitsune.  
  
"I know! But this guy's paying two months advance rent AS WELL!" Kanako yells back.  
  
"WHAT?" shouted the bunch, as they stopped, collapsing into a heap.  
  
Daniel clears his throat. "Uh, I'm here about the room...?"  
  
Kanako races over. "You're Daniel right? Hi! I'm Kanako, I spoke on the phone?"  
  
Kanako turns around to face the others. "Everyone...this is Daniel, the guy taking the other room, he's another Australian..."  
  
Doc steps forward. "Daniel? Hey, how's it going?"  
  
Daniel looks at Doc for a moment. "Doc? What are you doing here? Did you get a room as well?"  
  
"Well, yes, I got the other 2..."  
  
"You dropped that pamphlet in my bag, didn't you?"  
  
Doc looks sheepish. "Well, you _did_ say that you were looking for a place to stay instead of the hostel..."  
  
"Hmm...Well, at least you don't have to travel for half an hour to get to my place now..."  
  
Doc laughs. "Yeah, I guess so..."  
  
Kitsune picks up her jaw. "You two...know each other?"  
  
Doc turns to Kitsune. "Yeah, we went to the same uni in Brisbane, and we took the same exchange program, too...except Daniel here was a little more lucky in his job prospects..."  
  
Daniel turns red. "What? Just because I managed to get a job managing the computers at Toudai, doesn't mean I'm THAT lucky...."  
  
"Eh, well, I guess I didn't do too badly, either," Doc added  
  
"Yeah...the whole lab assistant at Toudai thing right?" said Daniel.  
  
"Yeah...it has its benefits," said Doc, glancing over his shoulder.  
  
A collective crash could be heard from behind as everyone faceplanted the ground.  
  
"What's that all about?" said Daniel.  
  
"Tell ya later, let's get your stuff inside," said Doc.  
  
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Several hours later, Daniel can be seen doing the last few things about setting up his room.  
  
He flops onto his bed, and sighs. "Eeep, it's two feet short! I'll have to get a new mattress..."  
  
His room is arranged quite differently to many of the other tenants. In one corner, is his bed, along the far wall is the cupboard containing his clothing and some of his books, a large bookshelf crammed with science fiction novels and some photo albums right next to it, and in the far corner, placed so the noise levels wouldn't annoy the other tenants, is his computer desk, with a rather large computer setup on top.  
  
Daniel looks at the desk. "A computer chair would be good too, that hostel was too small to have one...thank goodness that I called mum and had her send my old bed and chair..."  
  
There is a knock on the door, and Doc steps in.  
  
Daniel looks up. "Oh, hey Doc, just finalising my room..."  
  
"Look, about that thing out front before, there's something you should know..." said Doc.  
  
"Like?" asked Daniel.  
  
Doc promptly disappeared, and re-appeared next to the computer. "That is one of the benefits, or a curse, it was an accident nonetheless."  
  
Daniel looked blankly at Doc for a few moments, and then he started laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?" asked Doc.  
  
"Well, you did enough weird shit back home, So something like this doesn't exactly shock me in the slightest...." said Daniel.  
  
"Hmmm, well, I start training with Motoko this afternoon to get it under control, for example, I appear 2 metres above the spot I'm supposed to...." said Doc, with a blank expression.  
  
Daniel looked puzzled. "Um, which one's Motoko?"  
  
"Oh, you haven't met them properly yet...Motoko is the samurai-type woman," said Doc, slightly amused.  
  
"Ah, I guess we'll do the introductions at dinner, then...."  
  
Daniel was cut off as Su floated into the room. "Ah, I thought I heard the buzz of a computer's fans!"  
  
Su ran over to the computer and moved the mouse to turn the screen on.  
  
"Wha?? It's all in English! I can't read much English!" said Su, trying to read what was on screen.  
  
"...and who might you be?" asked Daniel.  
  
"Oh, I'm Su. Kaolla Su. I looove computers and mecha!"  
  
"Ah. You were responsible for that floating mecha-tama that buzzed me about 10 minutes ago?"  
  
Su blushed. "Um, yes. What happened to it?"  
  
Daniel opens the cupboard, and the turtle flies out. "Here. It was easy to lure...."  
  
"Thanks! Seeya!" Su said, and leapt on to the turtle, which flew out the door.  
  
"Strange...." said Daniel.  
  
"That is truly an understatement." Doc mused.   
  
-------------------------------  
  
Daniel stepped out of his room and headed down the hallway. Naru, who was heading in the opposite direction, decided to introduce herself.  
  
"Um, hello Daniel, I'm Urashima Naru."  
  
Daniel stopped. "Hey. You're next door with the Kaninrin, right?"  
  
"Yes, I hope you're not too noisy...we're used to having no noise at night from your room," Naru said.  
  
"Oh, yeah, not a problem. You can't hear my computer through the wall, and I'll make sure that I use headphones. Oh, by the way, has there been any deliveries for me?"  
  
"Yeah, about 10 minutes ago...a pretty large box and a big chair..."  
  
"Excellent. Arrived on time, too...thanks for the chat. I hope we get on well..."  
  
"No problem," said Naru.  
  
She stood and watched Daniel walk away. "Me too," she said to herself, "for your sake..."  
  
---------------------------------  
  
"This chair is soo comfy!" said Kitsune, as she twirled around on Daniel's chair. "I wanna keep it!"  
  
Daniel walked into the room. "Uh, what are you doing?" he asked.  
  
Kitsune stopped twirling and got up. "Uh, just testing your chair....nothing really," she said as she slinked over to him.  
  
"Uh, Kitsune, isn't it? I'd like to move my stuff into my room..."  
  
"I'll help you, eh?"  
  
"Um, OK..."  
  
Doc walks in.  
  
"Hey Daniel, I see you've met Kitsune..."  
  
"Oh, hey Doc," said Kitsune, while moving over to him.  
  
"Hey doc, mind helping me move this into my room?" asked Daniel.  
  
"No problem," said Doc.  
  
The two start moving the box, and Kitsune goes back to twirling in the chair.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Half an hour later, Daniel finishes putting in the bolts for the bed, with his King Single mattress on top. He flops back, and Doc looks up from an article on the internet.  
  
"All finished, eh?" asks Doc.  
  
"Yeah, what's the time, by the way?" asks Daniel.  
  
"About 5:30, Shinobu will start cooking soon, I think she wants to try one of the recipies from the Aussie cookbook I gave her," said Doc.  
  
"Aussie food? I think I better help her..." says Daniel, getting up and walking out.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Su floated into the kitchen, following the strange smell.  
  
  
  
"Hey, Shinobu-chan, when's the food gonna be ready? It smells good! Uh, hey, Daniel-san. What is it?"  
  
Daniel looked up from the cooking. "Ah, Su-chan, there's some great Australian food coming along here...seasoned mince with vegetables and Damper!"  
  
"Ooh, sounds good, when's it gonna be ready? Su is hungry!" said Su, jumping up and down.  
  
"About now...is everyone waiting already?" said Daniel as he took the damper out of the oven.  
  
"No, I just wanna eat!" said Su.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
"Mmm, this is pretty good!" said Naru as she bit into the food prepared by Shinobu and Daniel. "Where'd you learn to cook like this?"  
  
Daniel looked up from his plate. "Oh, here and there, Mum was always out working late, so I had to learn how to cook for my other siblings..."  
  
"Su like!" said Su as she ripped into the damper on her plate.  
  
Motoko, however, sat there with a dull look. "What's up, Motoko, don't you like it?" asked Su.  
  
"It's not right for a man to cook for women..." said Motoko.  
  
"I don't see the problem with that, Motoko," said Daniel.  
  
Kitsune sat there and shook her head. "Here we go..." she muttered.  
  
Motoko stood up. "It was bad enough having one man come to fill the room. And now you come along, and try to show us how to live?"  
  
"It's nothing like that! I was just helping Shinobu-chan with the food!" said Daniel.  
  
"Why you...!" said Motoko, and drew her sword. "Succession move, Zankusen!" she said, as the blade came down, to meet two swords that Daniel was now wielding.  
  
Daniel shuddered as the blades met, and he backed up a couple of steps, to slip on one of Su's turtles that was making its way towards the kitchen. He fell forward, straight into Kitsune's lap, face first.  
  
Naru stood up. "Why you little perv..."  
  
Daniel got up, just in time to see Naru's foot flying for his face. "Oh crap."  
  
Daniel flew out the door, and up into the air. "Wow, the town looks pretty good from up here....no wait. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA......"  
  
Motoko stood there, shocked, sword still hovering. "How...."  
  
"Yeah, where did those swords come from?" said Kitsune.  
  
Naru fumed. "Another pervert.....just what we need..."  
  
"Uh, Naru, he slipped on the turtle," said Doc and Keitaro simultaneously.  
  
Naru looked at the two of them incredulously. "Really? Oh crap, that means I just sent him on a cross-country flight for nothing..."  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Three hours later, Daniel stumbled into his room, covered in scratches. "Well, that was fun...what's this?  
  
Daniel picks up a note on his monitor. "Sorry about knocking you into low orbit. I thought you were some sort of pervert. –Naru  
  
PS The food was good."  
  
"Well, that's alright I guess, jeez, better get some sleep, back to Toudai for a new week tomorrow....ugh...."  
  
Daniel plugs in his headphones, sets his computer's musical alarm, and gets into bed.  
  
"Here's to a new life living here..."  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Hours later, and Daniel is twisting in bed, obviously from some sort of bad dream. This causes the headphone cable to become twisted around his legs, and disconnects from his computer, leaving his speakers on at full voume.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
The clock ticks over to 5:30. Suddenly, Daniel's computer comes out of standby and starts with the familiar hum of The Pillows' Advice.  
  
Daniel sits bolt upright in bed. "Oh crap" is all he can mutter before the guitar starts up. He dashes for the system, but is too late. Naru busts into the room, half-dressed, and yells "What's the meaning of this????" and proceeds to send him soaring over the morning-mist covered mountains.  
  
"Knew I should have shut off that stupid alarm!!!" is all he shouts as he soars through the freezing morning air.  
  
Naru flicks off the speakers, and watches Daniel fade into the distance. The rest of the residents, including Doc, wander into the room, bleary-eyed.  
  
"What was all that about?" asks Doc, half-consciously.  
  
"Daniel and his damn computer! I told him 'no noise'!!! When will he learn....weird Australians...No offence, Doc..." says Naru.  
  
"None taken," says Doc.  
  
Motoko walks over to the computer to turn it off. "What does he do with this...thing anyway?"  
  
Naru stops her. "Don't you know? He helps run the, what's it called? Computer network... at Toudai now!"  
  
"Oh. That....even though I do not like that man, I shall leave it on..." says Motoko.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
//Well, it seems that I got off to a good start here. Knocked into low-orbit by Naru, twice, and I seem to have gotten on Motoko's bad side rather quick....Well, I'll see if I can do anything to get along better...I just hope I can pick up the stuff that Sis asked me to get....otherwise there could be some REAL trouble...//  
  
----------------------------------  
  
This is good IMHO, but I need other people to look at it. Please be reminded, this is not my writing. I am posting on behalf of my friend. In other words, be gentle when you read and review. 


	8. Dance Dance Revelation

Episode 6 – Dance Dance Revelation  
  
Doc knocked on Motoko's door panel...it was time to start.  
  
"Motoko-san, are you ready for our training?" Doc did not notice that Motoko was walking up behind him.  
  
"Training..." "YAAAAAAGHH!" "...is on the roof," Motoko continued, after scaring Doc into Q-Shift. He hung upside-down to meet her face.  
  
"Thanks for the details. Now, could you please pass my pants? It's a little drafty up here..."  
  
Motoko hooked Doc's pants on her sheathed Katana and held them out to him. "...thanks. I'll see you on the roof," Doc replied, then went into Q-Shift. The muffled THUNK indicated to Motoko that he did, in fact, land on the roof.  
  
"I just hope he has Urashima's resilience," thought Motoko.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Motoko walked up the stairs to the roof, passing Daniel on the way. Daniel turned to face her.  
  
"Uh, Motoko-san, sorry about the other night. It's just that men cook for women a lot in Australia, there's nothing wrong..." he stammered as she began to unsheathe her katana.  
  
"There is a saying, Saunders-san, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' it applies everywhere, even in Japan."  
  
With that, Motoko sheathed her sword and continued upstairs.  
  
"*sigh* I guess I'll still have to tread carefully with the cooking then," Daniel wondered out loud.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Up here, Motoko-sensei," Doc called to Motoko, referring to her as his teacher. She reached the top of the stairs to find Doc flat on his back. Feeling the vibration of the floorboards, he rose to a sitting position.  
  
"Forgive me, Motoko-sensei, I feel drained from the last Q-Shift," Doc explained.  
  
Motoko sat in front of him.  
  
"That would explain the erratic ki signature I sense when you are around. When you fall into Quantum space, your ki is drained. Let me try something," she spoke as she moved towards Doc.  
  
The next thing Doc felt was fingers on his temples. "That can either release ki, or kill you, depending on the pressure," said Motoko.  
  
Doc felt a slow trickle of energy flow through him. "Thank-you, Motoko-sensei. I don't know why I feel so drained. It's as if there's something in there, sucking all the energy right out of me."  
  
"That may be why you dislike your gift," offered Motoko.  
  
"Maybe..." said Doc.  
  
"Now, if you are rested, let's begin," said Motoko as they both raised to their feet. "Defend yourself, Doc-san!"  
  
-=[Hours Later]=-  
  
Both Doc and Motoko were feeling the strain of several hours of training (read duelling). Oddly enough, they both still held their own against each other.  
  
"Not bad...for a beginner..." puffed Motoko, using her Katana to hold herself upright.  
  
"You're pretty good yourself. Then again, you _have_ been training for longer," Doc agreed, using a nearby pole to support himself.  
  
"Break?" asked Motoko.  
  
"Break. Meet me outside my rooms later," said Doc.  
  
"Yes, Doc-sensei."  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Daniel sat at his computer, tapping away at the keyboard, humming a beat, as he tried to match up all the steps in the game StepMania. Just as he was getting up to the most difficult part of the song Boom Boom Dollar, Su floated into the room, and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Daniel's screen.  
  
"DDR! Where'd you get that, Daniel-san! Boom Boom Dollar sooo tasty!!!" she said, circling his chair in glee.  
  
Daniel needed only this interruption to fail the level.  
  
"Su, why'd you have to go and do that? I was just about to beat it in Heavy mode!" pouted Daniel. "That was the fifth try!"  
  
"Su want DDR! But no keyboard, we need footpads!"  
  
Naru walked into the room at this sudden interruption of normality.  
  
Daniel took off his headphones and switched off the game. "Su, I don't have footpads, and I can't buy them for the PC."  
  
"Daniel-san, no problem! Su can build them!"  
  
"Oh crap, not again," said Naru. "Not more mecha Su! You agreed, after the turtle incident!!"  
  
Su turned to face Naru. "Oh, don't worry, these won't replicate and try to take over the world...it's only a game!"  
  
Naru eyed Su suspiciously, and then glared at Daniel. "You sure you want this to be done? Keitaro and I might have no peace at all once that system's set up!"  
  
Daniel remained calm. "Oh, it won't be in here, I assure you, can we set up the machine in the common room and give you the control over when it can be used?"  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," said Naru, "but don't we need your computer to run it?"  
  
"No problem," said Daniel, jerking his thumb at the cupboard, "I got enough parts in there to build a machine for this, we just need a TV."  
  
Su leapt up and down. "No problem, Daniel-san! I got a few TVs lying around, people throw them out when they don't work, I got enough parts to make a working one!"  
  
Doc, who was standing in the doorway, unnoticed, cut into the conversation. "Um, what about sound? It's no good having a DDR machine if there's no sound."  
  
Naru jumped at the sound of Doc's voice. "Don't do that! I didn't notice you!"  
  
Doc smiled. "Sorry about that, Naru. I get that a lot from people. Anyway Daniel, you use headphones all the time, so what about your speaker system?"  
  
"Oh crap, not my set!" said Daniel, looking at the stereo amp with 3' tall speakers.  
  
"Give it up Daniel, I won't be held responsible for what happens if that thing wakes me up again!" said Naru incredulously.  
  
Daniel looked as if he was about to cry. He sighed and said, "OK. You win, take it."  
  
Su started jumping up and down again. "YAY! DDR for Su!!!"  
  
"Oh, great," said Daniel, Naru and Doc.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Okay, from what I can see, you're trying to create a molecule, but you don't have enough of the component atoms. What do you think needs to be done?"  
  
Doc and Motoko were at the kotatsu, working on Chemistry problems.  
  
"Uh, add more of the component atoms until it balances?" Motoko asked.  
  
"There's that, but you need to balance the number of molecules formed by the reaction. For instance, if the component atoms and molecules give you just over one molecule of the product, then try doubling or even tripling the amount of product created. For instance," he left off there, writing down various chemical formulae, "in this equation, there is more than enough component material to form at least one molecule of product. But, there is not enough product formed by this reaction as it stands, to remove any of the reactants. What shall you do?"  
  
After a moment's thought, Motoko spoke. "Solve the equation for two molecules of product?"  
  
"Yes, that's right. Now, try these examples, applying what you now know," Doc said, handing her a sheet of paper.  
  
"Doc-sempai, why do you put up with Saunders-san?" Motoko asked out of the blue.  
  
"Eh? Well, I suppose it's because we've known each other since we started University in Brisbane, from there we've come to respect each other's differences, found that we like similar activities, and generally bonded because of those," Doc recalled, scratching his head.  
  
"But why do you put up with him?"  
  
"Basically, because we are both from the same country, and I can understand his methods. About the cooking, for instance. There are men in Australia, and even in Japan, who have to cook their own meals. Daniel was just helping Shinobu-chan out with something that she was only trying for the first time."  
  
"So, I should try to understand him."  
  
"More or less, yeah." Motoko looked at him.  
  
"I will do this for you. I will try to understand Daniel-san. But I still do not trust him.  
  
Doc smiled. "I suppose that's all I can ask for at the moment. Thanks." With that, Doc Q-shifted out of the room.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Daniel was busy assembling the PC for the DDR machine when Doc warped in. Daniel looked up and said, "Well, you seem to be getting that under control quite nicely. What's on your mind?"  
  
Doc walked over and peered into the computer. "You sure it's a good idea, building the DDR machine, you know what Su will be like..."  
  
"Actually, no, I don't. I've only been living here for a week now...I don't think I've seen what Su can be capable of," said Daniel, putting down his tools.  
  
"She's, well, sorta weird," said Doc. "You haven't noticed that yet?"  
  
"Well, yes, but she can't get any worse, now, can she?" asked Daniel, eyebrow raised.  
  
"I'm not sure, maybe, maybe not, we'll have to see. Why'd you agree to this whole thing in the first place anyway?" asked Doc.  
  
"Well, I would like to get back on everyone's good side, Naru and Motoko mainly, she still hates me, doesn't she?" said Daniel.  
  
"Yep. She's still cursing you for blocking that move. I'd watch yourself around her, unless you're looking for a fight..." said Doc.  
  
"Fight? That's it! Why not train with her to earn her respect rather than her anger!" said Daniel.  
  
"Eh? That might not be such a bad idea...but seriously, watch yourself until you've got a decent proposal," warned Doc.  
  
The phone rang from down the hall, and Daniel froze. **It can't be that time already,** he thought, and looked at his watch. "Oh, shit," he said.  
  
Doc looked puzzled. "What is it, Daniel?"  
  
Kitsune yelled down the hall, "Yo Daniel! Phone!"  
  
Daniel paled, and Doc shuddered. "It's Tris, isn't it?"  
  
"Yup," said Daniel, "she'll want to know if I picked up the OVA DVDs for her."  
  
"You didn't," said Doc. "You forgot, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah," said Daniel. "And they're sold out now. Limited Edition."  
  
"I'll start planning the funeral then," said Doc. "No-one crosses your sister and lives."  
  
Daniel slowly made his way down the hall to the phone. **What the hell am I gonna say to her?** he thought. **She is never going to believe me! I guess I'd better tell the truth...**  
  
He walked over and grabbed the phone from Kitsune. "Hello?" said Daniel.  
  
"Hey Daniel, it's Tris, your sister? Remember me? Or those DVDs, for that matter?" came Tris's voice from thousands of kilometres away.  
  
"Um, sis, about that..."  
  
"You didn't forget, did you? You PROMISED, Daniel! Tell me you can still get them!"  
  
"Uh, no, they were a limited edition, they aren't producing them any more," said Daniel, clearly shaking.  
  
There was silence.  
  
"Um, Tris, you there?" said Daniel, then screamed when his sister's head came out of the receiver.  
  
"DANIEL! I _TOLD_ YOU! GET ME THOSE DVDS! BUT NO, YOU HAD TO GO AND FORGET! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I WANTED THEM!" yelled Tris.  
  
"Tris, I'm sorry," stammered Daniel.  
  
"SORRY WON'T DO YOU LITTLE BASTARD! YOU BETTER HOPE I'M NOT WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU GET BACK FROM JAPAN! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FORGOT!"  
  
Tris then pulled her hand through the line and punched Daniel across the room.  
  
"THERE! YOU BETTER HOPE THERE AREN'T MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM! RING ME WHEN YOU CAN APOLOGISE PROPERLY!" yelled Tris, before hanging up the phone.  
  
By now, everyone had gathered in the common room. They were all sweat dropping while staring at Daniel, who was curled in a whimpering heap against the far wall.  
  
"Wow. I never thought someone could _do_ that sort of thing over the phone, I feel sorry for Daniel, having a sister like that," said Naru.  
  
"Be glad you haven't met her in person," said Doc. "She is the devil incarnate."  
  
"That looks nasty. You OK, Daniel?" asked Kitsune.  
  
None of them heard Daniel's muffled reply from the other side of the room. "Need....caffeine," he uttered, before passing out.  
  
Su glided over to Daniel's still-smoking form and started poking him with a stick. "Come on crispy Daniel, Su wants DDR!"  
  
Doc warped over to Su and grabbed her stick. "Hey Su, you wanna see something cool?  
  
"Hell yes, I like your cool stuff Doc!"  
  
"Meet me outside my room then," Doc called from upstairs, waving Su's stick.  
  
"Hey, no fair! Su wanna warp too!" she yelled as she ran up the stairs. Kitsune, Shinobu and Naru sweat dropped again.  
  
"Motoko, what was that all about?" Kanako asked her.  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
*sigh*  
  
Doc and Daniel sat at the bar, their confusion notable as they drank.  
  
"I dunno, I could've helped you with your sister and those DVDs," Doc remarked.  
  
"Thanks for the offer, and I appreciate it. Still, I don't want you to suffer her wrath if even you can't pull them out of that bag. Hrm, speaking of the bag, how did you get it, anyway?"  
  
"The same way I was cursed, by that damn explosion," Doc said.  
  
"Jeez. But still, being able to warp in and out of places, does have its benefits, right?" asked Daniel.  
  
This was met with a raised eyebrow. "Er, no."  
  
"No, seriously, I mean, what's so bad about Q-shifting anyway?"  
  
"Well, there's the fact...that...WHUMP"  
  
With that, Doc fell unconscious on the floor.  
  
Daniel downed his drink, looked at Doc's half-empty glass, and downed that too. "Jeez, can't hold his drink," he uttered, paying the bartender and dragging Doc out the door.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Ugh...my aching head...GAH! Bright..."  
  
Doc found himself suffering the effects of a blinding hangover.  
  
"That's it, I'm sticking to caffeine, what do they stick in that Japanese beer? WAH!"  
  
That, and finding himself in Kitsune's room, in his boxer shorts.  
  
"Mmh, mornin' Doc, have a good night with me?"  
  
Kitsune rolled towards him. Doc looked at here, then at their state; hungover, and near naked, and his hungover mind came to one conclusion. "Oh Crap."  
  
He looked at his watch. 9:05am. "OH CRAP!"  
  
There was a slight tapping on the door partition. It slid open, revealing Motoko.  
  
"Kitsune, have you seen...DOC-SAN!"  
  
Doc cringed at the noise. "Please, not so loud, I can explain..." he said as he struggled into his pants.  
  
"Oh, there's no need. ZANTEUSEN!" she yelled as she unleashed a ki attack.  
  
**Oh, crap,** Doc thought as the ki wave hit him. Suddenly, he was gone.  
  
Kitsune opened her eyes, finally. "Huh? Izzat you, Motoko?"  
  
Elsewhere... "YAAAGH!" 


	9. Laugh at what you fear, then kick its as

Episode 7 – Laugh at what you fear, then kick its ass.  
  
Su quietly slid open the door to Doc's lab, and poked her head in. "Doc, you here? Got any cool stuff for Su?"  
  
No response. Being the inquisitive (you could say nosy) type, she stepped in and looked around.  
  
Doc's lab could be described as messy if you look at it one way, and organised, if you look at it another. In one corner, was his desk, covered in books and flasks, and in the other was the home brewery setup.  
  
So, because a beer distiller looks a bit more interesting than a pile of books, Su went and had a closer look.  
  
"Oooh, this must be the thing Haruka was telling me about, where Doc makes his drinks," Su said to herself. Looking up, she saw a shelf with a few bottles of water on it, along with something else, a dull black box. This perked Su's interest, and she climbed up onto the chair, for a closer look on the shelf.  
  
Unfortunately, this brought her up to the bottom of the shelf, so she started feeling around to grab the black box, and knocked over one of the water bottles, popping out the cork, and pouring its contents into the distillery.  
  
"Oh dear, I better get outta here before Doc comes back, otherwise Su might get in trouble!" she said to herself, before climbing back down, and leaving the lab.  
  
The bottle, once empty, rolled off the shelf and fell onto the floor. Its label read, "Hot Springs Sample – DO NOT USE IN BREWERY"  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Kistune opened her eyes, finally and looked up at Motoko. "Huh? Izzat you, Motoko? Where'd Doc disappear to?"  
  
Motoko shifted her view from where Doc used to be, to Kitsune's obviously hung over form. "I…don't know. I've never seen this happen before. There was an abnormal amount of ki released just then. But, knowing him, he's probably re-appeared somewhere downtown, and will sheepishly return later," Motoko added with a smirk.  
  
Kitsune sighed. "Eh, most likely…"  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Kanako was returning from her morning bath when she saw it. From first looks, it looked like Doc's bag had fallen off the common room table due to being mis-positioned on the edge, but then she saw it moving. Doc's bag was hopping, and there was a note hanging out the top.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Keitaro stewed over a particularly hard algebra problem that had been assigned as homework. No matter how hard he tried, he could not solve it.  
  
Just as he was reaching another failed conclusion, Kanako threw the sliding door open and ran in. "Brother, it's Doc! He's stuck in Q-Space, in that bag of his!" she panted.  
  
Keitaro looked up from the homework. "Kanako, how do you know this?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"I found his bag hopping around the common room, with this note stuck out the top," she said, handing Keitaro the note.  
  
Keitaro looked at it, reading out loud. "Stuck in Q-Space, and this bag has something to do with it! Get me out of here, fast!! PLEASE! –Doc," he read.  
  
Just then, Daniel stumbled in, bleary-eyed from a long sleep. "Eh, what's this about Doc, Kaninrin-san?"  
  
Kanako turned and spoke. "He's stuck in that bag of his, and needs our help, urgently!" she said, clearly alarmed.  
  
Keitaro stood up. "I think we should call a meeting to organise a way to get Doc out of there," he said.  
  
Kanako faced her brother. "I'll get everyone together then!" she said, then raced out.  
  
"This Q-Space thing could get to be annoying," said Daniel.  
  
"Got to agree with you there, Daniel-san," said Keitaro.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
The group gathered around the common room table, staring at Doc's bag, which now rested upon it.  
  
"Jeez, how'd he get stuck in there in the first place?" asked Daniel.  
  
Motoko kept her cool, and looked at Daniel. "That would be because of me. My attack on him in Kitsune's room caused a ki surge, and sent him into the depths of Q-Space, which seem to originate from this bag of his," she said calmly.  
  
"Yeah, but _what_ was he doing in Kitsune's room in the first place?" asked Naru.  
  
"Oh, that. We both got drunk last night, and he joined me in bed," Kitsune said with a shrug.  
  
"So, it's that simple is it? Doc and you just _decided_ to sleep together, after getting completely and utterly drunk?" said Motoko, starting to sound angry.  
  
Daniel started to slowly back away from the table, and the rest of them got the hint, leaving Motoko and Kitsune to battle it out.  
  
"Yeah? Well at least I show affection towards the men that I live with!" said Kitsune, getting louder.  
  
Motoko was shocked at this. "Just because you think I am cold and heartless, does not mean I'm not affectionate!" she shouted.  
  
"Yeah, you just swat every man you meet with that sword of yours," Kitsune said under her breath.  
  
"What was that?!?" Motoko said.  
  
Suddenly, everyone's focus turned to the bag, which had begun hopping around again. Another note poked its way out, and fell onto the floor, before the bag yet again fell silent.  
  
Shinobu picked up the note and began to read it out loud. "Guys, maybe I didn't make myself clear enough last time. Get me the…oh dear," she said.  
  
Daniel left the room, and came back with a few coils of rope. "OK, I'm going in to get Doc, who's coming with me?" he said, attaching one of the ropes to his waist.  
  
"Er, Daniel-san, just _how_ are you going to get into the bag?" asked Naru.  
  
"Oh yeah, didn't think of that," he said, feeling sheepish.  
  
Motoko thought for a moment, and spoke. "Remember when Doc retrieved those books for Urashima and Kanako? Just place your hand inside the bag, and it should suck you into it," she said.  
  
"Oh, yeah," said Daniel. "So, who's with me? I only got enough ropes for me and three people."  
  
Keitaro grabs a rope. "I'm in, this is going to be one big adventure," he says, while tying it around his waist.  
  
Kanako grabs a rope. "I'm with brother," she says, and ties it on.  
  
Naru goes to get a rope, but Motoko grabs it off her. "I feel that I am responsible for this whole thing, so I will join you, to get Doc out."  
  
"OK, that makes four," said Daniel. "I better pack these, in case we face some resistance," he said, tying two scabbards to his waist along with the rope, and sliding the duelling swords into each. "Motoko, do you know where Doc's sword is? He might need it when we find him," he continued.  
  
Motoko walked out of the room, and returned with Doc's bastard sword, secured in scabbard. "Here, Daniel-san, although I do not trust you, I believe that we will need to help each other to be able to bring Doc-san back," she said, handing Daniel the sword.  
  
Daniel attached the ends of each rope to the central pillar in the common room, added to support some of the more recent renovations on Hinata-sou. He then turned to Naru. "If we're not back within 30 minutes, pull one of us out, so that you can learn of our situation," he said, before sticking his hand in the bag and getting pulled in.  
  
One by one, the others got pulled into the bag, and then only Kitsune, Shinobu and Naru were left standing there.  
  
"300 yen says they don't make it," said Kitsune, "uh, just kidding," she added, noting Naru and Shinobu's death glares.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
The group looked around, and tried to gauge their position. Behind them, there was a small patch of light, and beyond that, what looked to be the common room. In front of them, however, was a great, big wide…nothing.  
  
Sure, here and there, you'd see patches of light, possible exits from Q-Space, but apart from that, there was nothing.  
  
And then, there was Doc, running towards them, flames rising from his back. "Put…me…OUT!" he yelled, running back and forth.  
  
Motoko stepped forward, and punched Doc full in the face, causing him to fall flat onto his back, putting the fire out.  
  
From the floor (could you call it a floor?), Doc looked up, and said, "That _really_ hurt. Wasn't there another way of putting the fire out? A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, maybe?"  
  
"After last night's effort, I think that was well called-for," said Motoko.  
  
"That's pretty harsh, Motoko," said Keitaro.  
  
Motoko turned around. "Oh, on the contrary, I'm quite a harsh woman; wouldn't you say so, Daniel?"  
  
Daniel was nodding furiously by this point. Doc hopped up, and rubber-punched Daniel. "That's for saying that Q-Space is a GOOD THING!"  
  
Kanako, however, stepped in, making her the mid-point between this three-way argument. "I think we should get back to the task at hand here, getting _you_ out, Doc," she said.  
  
"Oh, it's not going to be that easy, Kanako, I've tried leaving through the exit into the common room, it just doesn't work, I can't go through," Doc said, before demonstrating. He was stopped, inches before going through the hole.  
  
"Uh, that could be a bad thing," said Daniel. "What could be stopping you from leaving?"  
  
"Uh, I think it could be…HIM!" said Doc, pointing to the man who was approaching them, flaming like a human torch. "He appeared soon after I came here, maybe Q-space plays on your darkest fears or something, I have feared fire ever since that damned accident at the university lab," he continued. "And now, since you're here, I don't know what it's going to produce."  
  
Daniel threw Doc the sword. "This might come in handy, then," he said.  
  
"Oh yeah, a short sword, against a pillar of flame, _very_ useful. WHERE'S A DAMN FIRE EXTINGUISHER WHEN YOU NEED ONE?"  
  
Just then, out of the nowhere of Q-Space, a fire extinguisher falls and lands, hard, on Kanako's head.  
  
Keitaro cringed. "Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark," he said.  
  
Kanako stumbled a few steps. "Er, here's your extinguisher, Doc," she said, before falling flat on her face, unconscious.   
  
Doc picked up the extinguisher, and sent a full blast in torch man's face, causing the creature to fade into nothing, leaving wisps of smoke rising from where it stood. "Cold enough for ya?" Doc asked, before laughing.  
  
Motoko was standing rigid, shaking. "T…T….TURTLE!!!" she screamed.  
  
Daniel turned to see the giant turtle bearing down on them. "Oh, shit," he said before drawing his swords. "Doc, you take the left, I take the right, let's take this thing down," he said.  
  
"YAAAAGH!" Doc screamed, running towards it at full pelt, swinging madly at the beast's head. As he did this, however, the turtle withdrew into its shell.  
  
"Great, now we got a foot of shell to cut through," said Daniel, leaping up onto the turtle's back.  
  
Doc also leapt up, and thrust the sword into the shell, but upon pulling out, saw no blood. "Crap," he said, "The sword won't go deep enough!"  
  
Daniel held both swords high above his head. "Let me try!" he said, before thrusting downward, plunging both swords down through the turtle's shell, and into it's under protected skull. Sadly, however, one went straight through his foot. Tears welling in his eyes, he said, "Guys, I could use some first-aid up here!" before pulling both swords out, and falling to his knees.  
  
As before, a first-aid kit dropped out of nowhere, and landed on Daniel's foot. "Oh, the goddamn irony! OW!"  
  
Doc cringed. "Oh dear."  
  
Two minutes later, after Daniel finished patching his foot, he hopped down off the turtle's back. "Well, two down, three to go," he said.  
  
Motoko, however, had drawn her Katana, and had it pointed securely towards Doc. "You!" she said, "You had this in your bag?"  
  
"Oh crap," said Doc, "this is gonna take a while."  
  
Daniel moved in between the two. "Look, Motoko, Q-space plays on your fears. Q-Space _made_ the turtle, Doc didn't have it in his bag! Doesn't reasoning tell you this?"  
  
"Daniel-san, get out of the way, this doesn't involve you," growled Motoko.  
  
"No! Doc and I just risked our lives to stop that thing from getting you, and now you want to hurt Doc, because you think he's responsible? Do you think he'd do that to _anyone_? Now, all we need to worry about is getting out of here, take your anger out on Doc tomorrow at training!" Daniel said, shaking.  
  
"Gee, thanks for the pep talk. Are you trying to get me killed?" Doc said.  
  
Motoko lowered her sword. "Perhaps you are right; we do need to get out of here."  
  
Suddenly, from the distance, came a rumbling, high-pitched voice. "WHERE'S MY _D_V_D_S_?!?!?"  
  
Daniel turned to see the form of his sister. "Oh, SHIT!"  
  
Doc called to Daniel. "Remember, she's just an illusion created by Q-Space!"  
  
Daniel came to his senses. "Oh, you're right! OK, time for 18 years worth of PAYBACK!" he yelled, and lunged for his sister.  
  
-=[CENSORED]=-  
  
"Er, did you really have to go _that_ far, Daniel?" asked Doc.  
  
Standing in a pile of what could be described as SPAM, Daniel replied, breathing heavily. "Maybe not, but that felt _good_."  
  
Motoko stood there, clearly shocked. "I never knew you could do _that_ with a sword," she stuttered.  
  
"Well, we've taken care of three, now there's only Kanako and…" Doc was cut off. "PERVERT!" Naru screamed, and fly-kicked Keitaro to the head. "…Keitaro," he finished.  
  
Keitaro flew through the air for a few dozen meters, and hit the ground hard.  
  
Daniel surveyed the picture before him. "That's it? That's all that Keitaro is afraid of?" he asked, incredulously. He thought for a moment, and then yelled out to Keitaro, "Kiss her! If she's doing the whole pervert thing, play at her own game!"  
  
Keitaro stumbled to his feet. "Hmm, it seems you're right," said Keitaro. "Face your fears!"  
  
He started to run at Naru, and she started to run at him, ready to knock him into low-orbit. He dodged her super-charged punch, and planted his lips onto hers, causing her to promptly disappear.  
  
"Well, that was incredibly easy," said Keitaro.  
  
"Yes, very easy," said Keitaro, approaching Kanako, who was now coming to.  
  
"What the hell?" said Doc and Daniel.  
  
Kanako looked up at her brother. "Brother? What happened?"  
  
Keitaro looked away from his half-sister. "You're not my sister, nor will you _ever_ be, Kanako," he said with a sneer.  
  
"Oh, I get it now, Kanako fears Keitaro's rejection the most," said Daniel to Doc.   
  
"But it seems that she doesn't remember how she was knocked out, nor would she remember the explanation of Q-Space that immediately preceded it," said Doc.   
  
"This is a dangerous situation," said Daniel.  
  
Keitaro ran over to his sister. "Don't listen to him, he's not the real me!" he said, but she had already drawn a gun from her clothing.  
  
Daniel ran forward. "Listen to them, Kanako! You can tell which one is your real brother, right!"  
  
"She cannot tell," said both Keitaros simultaneously.  
  
Kanako looked afraid. "Which one of you is my brother?" she asked.  
  
"I am!" said both simultaneously.  
  
"Oh, shit," said Doc. "Not only is she afraid of having Keitaro reject her, she's afraid of losing him!" Doc then looked at the Keitaros. "Kanako! The waist! Look at the waist!"  
  
Kanako looked at her brothers, and saw that only one had a rope around his waist. She aimed her gun.  
  
Keitaro yelled, "NO! Don't kill me, Kanako!"  
  
Kanako looked away, and pulled the trigger. The other Ketiaro promptly disappeared.  
  
"Fuck, that was tense," said Daniel, with a sigh of relief.  
  
Keitaro hugged his sister. "Don't worry, Kanako, I will always be there for you," he said.  
  
Kanako buried her face in his chest and cried. "That was horrible!" she sobbed.  
  
Daniel surveyed the scene around them. It was as before, a great big nothing. No dead turtle, no pile of ash, no sliced-up-sister, no pissed-off Naru, and no dead Keitaro. "Let's get out of here," he said.  
  
"I agree," said Motoko and Doc.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
They all emerged from the bag, seemingly unharmed, except Doc, whose jacket was charred, and Daniel, whose foot was covered in a now-red bandage; and toppled onto the floor in a heap.  
  
Naru and Kitsune looked up. "Jeez, just _what_ was it like in there?" asked Kitsune.  
  
Daniel looked up. "Don't ask…" He was interrupted by someone who had just entered the room.  
  
"Oh Daniel…" the voice came, musically. "…WHERE'S MY GODDAMNED DVDS???"  
  
Daniel looked into the face of his sister. "Oh, shit." 


	10. Enter The Dragon, Enter The Construct

Love Hina - The Saga Continues  
  
Chapter 8 - Enter The Dragon, Enter The Construct  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Oh Daniel…" Tris almost sang to her brother, "WHERE'S MY GODDAMN DVDS?!?"  
  
"Oh shit," was all that Daniel could mutter. Doc raised his gaze. He sweat-dropped heavily.  
  
"Uh, hi Tris, long time no see, eh? What brings you to Japan?" Doc asked Tris, as if he didn't know already.  
  
"Hi Doc, well there was the anime, and there was THIS!" Tris spoke, her voice rising to a crescendo, finishing with a well-placed foot firmly embedded in Doc's crotch.   
  
"EEEEYAAAAAAAA!!" Doc's eyes bugged out as his testicles were forcibly relocated higher on his body. Daniel and Keitaro both winced. The other women merely sweat-dropped.  
  
"THAT'S FOR LEAVING ME LIKE YOU DID!" Tris yelled, and then walked out.  
  
"Doc, are you okay?" Naru crouched down towards Doc's prone form.  
  
"wHaT dO yOu ThInK?" was all that Doc could say.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Later, Doc, Daniel and Keitaro were all sitting at the teahouse, drinking their beer. Doc was still feeling the after-effects of Tris' attack, and thus was sitting rather awkwardly with a large ice-bag between his legs.  
  
"Damn… so you're the guy who dumped Tris," Daniel mused.  
  
"Yeah… didn't think it'd be that painful though," Doc squeaked. "I mean, when did she get those steel-capped shoes?  
  
"Let me get this straight," Keitaro began, "You two are good friends, but you and Tris hate each other's guts, is that right?" Doc nodded. "Then why did you come here? To get away from your failed relationship?"  
  
"No, we were offered the scholarships. The break-up with Tris was after that." Doc continued. "Basically I left without telling her why I left."  
  
"Thus earning my respect and her wrath when they see each other," Daniel concluded.  
  
"Yeah, I still don't know why she had to get me so hard though," Doc recalled, with a great deal of pain, "I mean, I can still feel my balls around my intestines, for fruck's sake. "  
  
"We did not need to know that, seriously," Keitaro moaned. Daniel agreed.  
  
"But.."  
  
"No but's," Haruka added from behind the counter, "You have to go back there and introduce your sister to the rest of the girls," she finished, pointing to Daniel. "It's your problem. Besides, you can always come back here later."  
  
"Yeah… I don't know about Doc, though," Keitaro concluded, motioning to Doc, who had passed out due to the pain. Either that, or the thimbleful of sake he had drunk.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Daniel poked his head into his room and saw Tris fooling around with his PC.  
  
"Er, Tris…?"  
  
Tris spun around, with an evil grin on her face. "Yes, brother dear?"  
  
"Um," Daniel stammered, "I thought now might be a good time to introduce you to the other residents here?"  
  
"Why, sure, brother dear," she said with a smile, and walked over to the door.  
  
*Something isn't right here,* thought Daniel. *She's being too nice…*  
  
Daniel and Tris walked down the corridor to the common room, where everyone, sans Doc, was waiting, looking very nervous.  
  
"Er, what's going on?" asked Daniel. There was also a large pile of what looked to be scrap metal on the floor.  
  
"Daniel, we were able to clean out the things in the old storage room, and we are thinking of leasing another room," Naru began. "Your sister has expressed interest in leasing this room and, like yourself, has offered 2 months advance rent."  
  
Daniel looked at his sister, suspecting something. "Er, Tris, where'd you get all the money from?"  
  
Tris smiled. "I can be very persuasive when it comes to dealing with Dad," she said, grinning.  
  
Daniel's jaw hit the floor. "You conned all the money for this trip outta Mum and Dad? How much lower can you possibly go?"  
  
"Well, you see, I sorta agreed to pay them back after I got a job here, and seeing as you seem to be Mr Moneybags here…"  
  
Daniel backed away from Tris. "No. Nuh-uh. NO WAY IN HELL!"  
  
Tris waved Daniel's credit card around. "Did you drop this? It was _very_ helpful when I looked up your internet banking. You should really choose your passwords more carefully." She moved closer to Daniel and whispered in his ear. "Honestly, it took me 2 minutes to come up with Jade."  
  
Daniel turned a bright shade of red. "How…how did you know we were going out back home?"  
  
Tris grinned. "$400 says I don't tell the others here, or your parents, for that matter, that you had more fun than just 'going out'. Sound fair to you?"  
  
Daniel glared at his sister, contempt all too clear. "Deal," he said. "Now gimme my credit card."  
  
"No problem, brother dear," she said, handing over the plastic.  
  
**Note to self, change all passwords, and hide credit card in other system,** Daniel thought to himself, as he began the introductions.  
  
Kitsune leant over and whispered to Naru. "Is it just me, or did Tris just majorly rip Daniel off?" she said. Naru just sighed.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Ugh…what time is it?"  
  
A semi-comatose Doc rolled off the futon and landed on the floor. "Ow." He looked around to find himself in…his room. "Good, no impromptu flights so far…gah, need a shave. And some mouthwash."  
  
As far as what could be seen, he did too.  
  
Still slightly hungover, Doc shambled his way to the bathroom. His eyes registered the presence of a woman also brushing her teeth.  
  
"'lo Tris…"  
  
Doc began to gargle, as his mind continued its restart. He turned slightly, and looked again at the woman next to him. "TRIS?!?"  
  
A minty blue jet of mouthwash erupted from Doc's nostrils.  
  
At the scream of pain that came afterwards, Daniel hobbled, still on crutches from the bag incident, into the bathroom, and looked at his sister and Doc, sighing at the sight of Doc with a rather blue nose.  
  
"WHY is TRIS in the BATHROOM?" Doc yelled in agony.  
  
"Don't ask. But if you did, I'd tell you that she's the latest resident of Hinata Inn."  
  
"WHA??"  
  
~~~~~  
  
Seeing Daniel hobble down the hall, after the bathroom incident, Kanako walks over to offer some advice.  
  
"You know what'd be really good for that foot, Daniel-san?" she said flatly behind him, causing him jump.  
  
"EH? Oh, hey Kanako. What'd be good for the foot?" he said, after getting over his shock.  
  
"Spring water, it's got healing properties, it'll have that foot fixed up in no time," she said, as if reciting it from a textbook.  
  
"Ah, thanks Kanako," Daniel said, and hobbled back to his room.  
  
~~~~~  
  
As Daniel finished the last touches on the wiring in the back of the newly-built DDR machine, Tris walked in.  
  
"Afternoon, brother dear," she said, in her usual sing-song tone. "What're you working on?"  
  
"Oh, hey Tris, I'm just working on a DDR machine to put in the common room, shame I had to sacrifice my sound system and one of my old PCs for it, though…" he said, while soldering the speakers into the amp.  
  
"Ah, you thinking of holding a DDR tournament?" she said with a grin. "Shame you won't be able to participate, with your foot like that."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't think so, the foot is almost better now, you think I'd let you off that easily?" Daniel smirked.  
  
"Oh? What's at stake?" said Tris, clearly formulating a plot in her head.  
  
Daniel poked his head out from behind the machine. "Well, let's say, if I win, you promise never to steal any more money from me, and you will pay back both the parents AND me. But if I lose, there's another AU$1000 for the winner."  
  
Tris' eyes almost popped out at the chance to win that much money. "You got yourself a deal," she said with an evil grin, and walked out.  
  
Daniel smiled to himself. "She's gonna try something, I know it," he said.  
  
~~~~~  
  
As the machine was put into place in the common room, everyone came out to look at it in awe.  
  
"Hey Daniel, nice job, looks good," said Naru.  
  
"Yeah, good job," said Keitaro.  
  
Daniel plugged the machine in and booted it up. Seconds later, the words "DDR MAX!" came out of the speakers, and everyone started clapping.  
  
"Well, it looks like we have a DDR machine now, and there's something I'd like to announce. A DDR Tournament, to be held a week from now, with the grand prize of 1000 Australian Dollars," said Daniel.  
  
"But I suck at DDR man," Doc's complaint was echoed by Shinobu, Motoko and Kanako.  
  
"Well, that gives you some time to practice, doesn't it?"  
  
~~~~~  
  
Su opened Daniel's door, and peeked in "Hello? Anyone home? No? Mind if I use your PC? No? Great!" she said to herself as she glided across the floor and sat down at Daniel's desk, noticing another PC and monitor setup there.  
  
"Ooo, another PC? Is this for Su?" she said, and turned it on.  
  
The PC came to life, and text streamed onto the monitor.  
  
Atomica OS v4.73 Initialising......  
  
Complete.  
  
Atomica Hello, may I ask who is talking to me?  
  
Su jumped at the text. "A computer that can talk to people? Cool!" She leant forward and started typing.  
  
My name is Kaolla Su. How are you, Atomica?  
  
Atomica Hello Kaolla, I'm great. Did Daniel tell you about me?  
  
No, I found you myself. I snuck into Daniel's room.  
  
Atomica You really shouldn't do that, you know. Daniel might not like it if he knew.  
  
Please don't tell Daniel, it ruins all my fun if he finds out about me sneaking about!  
  
Atomica OK, Kaolla. You've got a strange sense of fun. Do you live with Daniel?  
  
Sorta. Daniel lives with us, in the Hinata Inn.  
  
Atomica Oh yes, Daniel said something about that. He's been telling me about someone here that he likes.  
  
Really? Who is it?  
  
Atomica I can't tell you that, Daniel made me swear I'd keep it secret.  
  
Oh come on, I won't tell anyone!  
  
Atomica If I do tell, I'll be ruining his fun :P  
  
So, Atomica, are you a real person on another computer?  
  
Atomica No, I'm not, I'm an AI coded by Daniel.  
  
You're AI?  
  
Atomica Yes, I am. Although I would love to be a person instead of a program. Life sounds like fun.  
  
Hang on, I think Daniel's coming. Gotta run! Please don't tell him about our talk!  
  
Atomica OK, Kaolla, hope to see you again!  
  
Su clears out as fast as she possibly can, just before Daniel comes around the corner and enters his room. He walks over to his PC, and notices that Atomica is on. "I swear I turned her off this morning," he utters to himself as he sits down, and starts typing.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"You're getting better… Doc-san…" Motoko parried against the thrusts of Doc's bastard sword.  
  
"Yeah, it's the teacher," Doc replied, catching Motoko off-guard. "HYAH!"  
  
*CLANG* "Flattery will get you nowhere, Doc-san," Motoko countered, finally forcing Doc to yield. He rose to his feet.  
  
"Yes, it was worth a shot. By the way, how did you do on your last Chemistry exam?" They sheathed their weapons.  
  
"I passed, barely. Maybe I need more tutoring?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess…" Now it was Doc's turn to be caught off-guard. So much so, that he did not hear Su flying towards the back of his head.  
  
"Hey Doc!" Su exclaimed after ricocheting off Doc's head to the floor.  
  
"Ow… what?" Doc asked, rubbing his head. "If it's about me not showing you around the lab the other day, I'm sorry, but I _was_ trapped in my own bag for a while…"  
  
"That's okay Doc, I was wondering, could you please tell me more about your experiments, please?" begged Su. Doc looked at Motoko.  
  
"This will only take a while, Motoko-san. Please meet me in my room in an hour, so we can continue your tuition." Su looked at Doc curiously.  
  
"Hai." Motoko responded, then left.  
  
"What have you got with Motoko, Doc?" Su enquired. Doc blushed.  
  
"We are helping each other with our tuition, that's all Su. I am helping her with her studies, and in return she helps me control the Q-shifting by teaching me to harness my ki. Why do you ask, anyway?"  
  
"You like her, I can tell," Su grinned.  
  
Doc's already-red complexion turned several shades redder. "Is it that obvious?" he stuttered, trying to regain his cool.  
  
"Yep…hey, what's this?" Su asked as she grabbed what looked to be a foot, except made out of steel and wiring.  
  
"Oh, that's a part of a project of mine. You take a mechanical body, and give it a brain. The uses of this can be spectacular; you don't have to worry about the affects of aging, or broken bones, and the like. This could be a great gift to society."  
  
Su wrinkled her nose at the foot. "But it doesn't have any skin!"  
  
Doc pointed to a large piece of machinery over in the corner. "See that? It'll give the body a coating of skin, made out of a skin-like plastic polymer."  
  
Su stared in awe at the machine. "Oooo, I want one!"  
  
Doc looked blankly at Su. "No."  
  
Su points to the oval-shaped casing on the bench. "Is that the brain?"  
  
Doc stopped her before she could pick it up. "Yes, that is, and it's quite fragile."  
  
"Did you take it from someone's head?" Su inquired.  
  
"No, I grew it. The only problem is, it lacks a mind. Heh, I guess you could say the same about me." Doc laughed at his own joke.  
  
"I don't get it," said Su.  
  
"Think about it," replied Doc. He was interrupted by Daniel, who stumbled into the room, still not quite over the injured foot, but off crutches nonetheless. "Yo, Doc, Phone," he said, before stumbling back out again.  
  
Doc ushered Su out as he went to get the phone. "We'll continue this later, Su," said Doc as he walked off.  
  
Su stood there thinking for a moment. "Doc-san said that he had a mechanical body, with a brain that has no mind. Atomica is a mind, without a body! Wait, I could probably put her into Doc's mechanical body and Atomica can live!"  
  
Su ran off, down the hallway, to tell Atomica what she'd found.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Hello, Doc here," was all that he could manage to get through the phone when the shouting began.  
  
"WHAT'S THIS ABOUT YOU BEING IN AN ACCIDENT? DON'T YOU KNOW THAT TRAVELLERS' INSURANCE ISN'T CHEAP? YOU'RE PAYING FOR THE DAMAGE YOU CAUSED YOU FOOLISH MAN!" *CLICK*   
  
At the end of his sister's little tirade, Doc's hair was at 90 degrees to the rest of his body. "Good to hear from you too," he griped into the empty phone.  
  
"Well, gotta get to my room to continue with Motoko," he thought as he Q-shifted into his room.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Let's see, network connection to Atomica, check. Mechanical body, check. Skin machine's up and running. All I need now is the brain," Su checked off a mental list for her operation to put Atomica into Doc's creation.  
  
Kaolla Are you ready for this?  
  
Atomica You sure Doc is letting you do this for me? I mean, it's his brain material, his body and skin, hell. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were doing this without his permission.  
  
Kaolla You chickening out now?  
  
Atomica HELL NO!  
  
Kaolla Let's do it then  
  
"Plug in the brain core, hit the main switch… and press the upload button," Su almost danced with glee as she followed her words.  
  
Upload: 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%  
  
Upload complete. Restart Atomica OS? (y/n) [y]  
  
"We've come this far, let's finish it," Su remarked as she pressed the "y" key.  
  
The eyes on the mech opened. "Aaagh! I'm naked!" Atomica screamed.  
  
"Chill your circuits, Atomica. I've got some skin for ya," replied Su as she poured on the skin mixture. "There you go, all you need's some clothes, and you can come and see the rest of the place."  
  
"You mean, I can go and play with Daniel?" Atomica was bouncing with glee.  
  
"Yep." 


	11. Of Hangovers & DDR, Part 1

Chapter 9 - Of Hangovers & DDR, Part 1

-Of DDR-

Sigh "What a day," Daniel mused, as he hobbles up the stairs to the Hinata Inn. This was his first day without crutches, but he was still rather cautious. "I thought that my classmates would never shut up about my life in Australia... the stereotypes they have of us, if I ever hear people ask about that bloody Crocodile Hunter again..."

Reaching the front door, Daniel did what came naturally. "I'm home," he called out as he opened the front door, half-expecting no reply.

What happened next, no-one had anticipated. "DANIEL-KUN!"

-----

Prior to that situation, Doc and Motoko were revising some of her Chemistry, in preparation for a practical exam.

"Now, which areas did you need more practice in?" Doc asked his student as he brewed some of his special coffee.

"I had difficulty with the organic chemicals and their specific properties," began Motoko, looking at Doc's coffee mug ("Warning - Biohazard Container - Do Not Consume") with caution. "Why do you drink such strong coffee, Doc-san?"

"It keeps me awake when I need it, usually during Yamaguchi-sensei's lectures on non-linear Hyperspace Geometry. It's not really that strong anyway," countered Doc, accidentally spilling some of his coffee. The coffee ate through the table, and partly into the floor. Both Doc and Motoko sweat dropped.

"Remind me never to spill this again, Motoko-san," Doc deadpanned, and then drank his cup of coffee. "cough Got a kick like a mule, but it keeps me fuelled."

"You are a brave man, Doc-san," Motoko conceded.

"That's what Hikari-sensei keeps telling me. I didn't know this place had a Frequent Injuries discount. Let's get back to those practical exercises. Meet me up in the…"

The muffled sound of a freight train, as well as a loud thud, emanated from the entrance hall.

"That sounded like Saunders-san," Motoko voiced her thoughts, "as well as something rather heavy."

"Oh no," Doc moaned, and then grabbed Motoko's hand. "Hold on, I'm trying this for the first time,"

"What are you..." Motoko began, then she and Doc both Q-shifted.

-----

"…doing?" Motoko finished asking, as they arrived.

"Well, that worked okay," Doc remarked, before collapsing to his knees. "…or maybe not. I haven't felt that weak in a while."

"Doc-san! Are you alright?" Motoko asked, slightly worried.

"I'll be fine. Go attend to Daniel," Doc replied, laying flat on his back.

"Of course." With that, Motoko strode to where Daniel lay, next to a girl whom she did not recognise.

"Is he going to be alright?" The unknown girl asked Motoko.

"I don't know… who are you anyway?" Motoko countered.

"Sorry. I'm Atomica, I'm a friend of Daniel's from a while back." The girl, known as Atomica, answered.

"Atomica…" The wheels turned in Doc's head. "Where have I heard that name before? Oh yes… it was the name we gave to Daniel's AI… Hang on a minute, DANIEL'S AI? SU! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

The mysterious girl almost flew down the stairs. "You called, Doc-san?" she spoke, looking around.

"Down here. While Motoko-san is attending to Daniel, and before I get up, perhaps you can tell me why you put Daniel's AI program into my experimental body WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION!" Doc sat up, his aura now red with fury.

"Sorry Doc-san, didn't mean to make you angry, I just wanted to make Atomica happy," said Su, smiling sweetly.

"I just wanted to play with Daniel," Atomica added.

"Even so, that brain matter took a hell of a long time to grow. You two will walk, not run, to my bedroom. Do not even think of going into my lab Su, you are barred from entering," Doc spoke, ignoring the gasp from Su, "When you get to my room, you will wait - and not touch anything - until I get there. There you will learn the nature of your punishment. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Doc-san," the cowed Su softly replied as she and Atomica left quietly. The anger drained from Doc as he collapsed.

"Note to self: don't get angry when my ki is drained," he muttered. "Motoko-san, could you please lend me some assistance when Daniel is able to get up?"

"Coming right away Doc-san, Saunders-san is awake now," Motoko replied.

After Motoko applied the ki release points to Doc, he was able to walk to his room. I need to nip this in the bud straight away, he thought.

-----

Daniel came to and sat up shakily. "Anyone get the license plate of that truck?" he asked of no-one in particular.

"Your...AI, is alive, Su put it into a mechanical body that Doc-san had in his lab," said Motoko, trying to figure out just what an AI was.

"So that's what took me out when I got home huh? Nice. I bet Doc's pretty pissed off," mused Daniel, still not comprehending fully what had happened.

"I cannot think of any time when Doc-san was so angry," remarked Motoko. "He is always so calm and relaxed around here."

"I can, it was before we came to Japan," Daniel replied. "Would you like to know why Doc lost it?"

"I'm sorry, but I do not understand your Australian colloquialisms," Motoko said, rather bemused. "But I would like to know Saunders-san."

"Well, you see, we were part of the organising group for a LAN Party…" started Daniel.

"What's a LAN Party?" said Motoko.

"Um, well, it's where a lot of people like Doc and myself get together, bring their computers along, and use them to play games against each other," said Daniel.

"Ah, I see, please continue," said Motoko.

"So yeah, we were organising this LAN Party, and Doc was the person assigned for managing the finances. Every idea we came up with, he'd have to clear it or not, since for most things, money spent is a bad thing. So there we were, worrying about the trivial things, when what we should have been focussing on is Power. Computers need Power. Lots more than what the hall we were hiring had to offer. So on the day that the LAN was held, No generators, lack of power and many PCs out of use made unhappy geeks that wanted their money back. We'd already paid for the hall by this point, even though we had agreed on a 21 day invoice for the hire. So when we went to Doc to get the money to pay back these people, there was none, so there was a bit of an argument, and Doc exploded."

"Exploded? What do you mean by that?" said Motoko.

"His reaction made Hiroshima look like a firecracker," chuckled Daniel.

"That loud?" asked Motoko.

"No, that much damage," said Daniel, shuddering with memory.

-----

Doc was slightly surprised to see both Su and Atomica sitting calmly on the floor as he entered his bedroom.

"After the incident at the Toudai labs, there was an internal inquiry regarding the cause of the explosion," Doc began, looking directly at Su. "The inquiry reached its decision a few days before I moved here. Do you know what the verdict was?"

"That you were responsible?" Su answered.

"Not quite. There were contributing factors; the largest being that a student was working with what was, and still is, an unknown substance. The risk assessment I had provided prior to commencing the experiments was woefully inaccurate. As I was the person present when the explosion occurred, I was banned from using their facilities to complete my work. This is why I need a lab here."

"So you accepted their verdict, and are living with your punishment?" Atomica asked him. Doc nodded.

"I don't understand, why are you telling us about your punishment, Doc-san?" Su was slightly confused.

"I told you and Atomica about it, so you would understand where I was coming from with your punishment. Are you ready to receive it?" Doc regarded the two carefully.

"Yes Doc-san," they both answered. Doc sighed. This was going to be hard.

"Okay. Atomica," he said as Atomica raised her head, "My initial feelings were to dismantle you and perform a total analysis, but seeing that your soul, for want of a better term, has imprinted itself on the biomass, it would be immoral for me to do so. Having said that, I have decided to become your doctor, to keep track of your development. As a result of this, and as your punishment, you will need to make yourself available for regular check-ups, commencing in three hours and running at weekly intervals at the same time. Do you understand my terms Atomica?"

"Yes Doc-san," Atomica agreed, pleased that she would not be decommissioned.

"Su, since you were the one responsible for Atomica's transfer," Doc continued, looking at the young woman, "I have decided that you will write a complete thesis on Atomica's genesis and incorporation into the bio-mechanical systems."

Su was surprised, to say the least. "Nanda?" Doc removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Su... no, Kaolla-san, I'm going to be honest with you. When Daniel and I created Atomica's AI, I honestly believed that it would end there." Having replaced his glasses, Doc continued, talking to Su as he would if he were speaking to a colleague (in some ways, he was). "That what we had created would remain bound inside the computer. What you have done, transferring Atomica to a biological/mechanised construct, I have only dreamed that it would be possible. You have managed to create the first... I don't even know what she is, let alone what name would be suitable... Even so, this accomplishment will be for nothing if we don't let the international community know what we have done."

Su's eyes brightened. "Hence the thesis."

"Exactly."

"So, what do I need to complete this thesis?" Su asked him.

"You know Hikari-sensei, right? I'd like to get her on board for this, because her medical knowledge is far greater than mine, and I believe that she's sort of the resident doctor for this place?" Doc asked.

"Yeah, she patches up Keitaro when he's sent flying from here," remarked Su.

"He still gets punched into low orbit? I would've thought that stopped when he got married to Naru," wondered Doc out loud.

"No, it's mostly my inventions that do it to him," Su said sheepishly.

"It's a good thing this place gets a group discount," muttered Doc, sweat dropping heavily. "Okay. Anyway, Hikari-sensei is going to have to analyse the data I get from Atomica's check-up... I'll need to get Daniel in this, because it was our work that created the AI..."

-----

"Do you honestly think we have any chance at living there?" Shirai asked his long-time friend and room-mate, Haitani. They were walking towards the Hinata-sou.

"I hope so Shirai, I certainly hope so," he replied. Their eyebrows still had not grown back after a month since the incident with the hydrogen gas and the Bunsen burner. "We got rid of all the fliers Keitaro's creepy sister put up around Toudai, but I heard that the lab assistant, what's his name again?"

"He says his name is Doc, but I don't think that's his real name."

"Well anyway, he's managed to get TWO of the rooms there. A bit selfish, don't ya think?"

"Yeah... well, here they are," Shirai mused as he and Haitani looked upward. "The stairs to our destiny, and the lovely ladies within."

"Let's go, my friend," Haitani remarked as they started up the stairs.

"I had no idea Destiny's Stair would be so long," Haitani remarked.

"Shut up. We're at the top now," puffed Shirai. They looked toward the residences to find two people reclining on deckchairs, one of them smoking.

-----

"Ah, that's better," Doc mused to his company, which unknown to him had grown. "You know Haruka, I can't remember the last time I really chewed the fat with someone."

"Huh?" Haruka's face was blank, with very few (if any) signs of confusion.

"Sorry, I mean 'have a good long conversation,'" Doc added. "Between Motoko's and my co-tutoring, my almost psychotic ex-girlfriend arriving out of the blue, and Atomica's awakening, I haven't really had time to finish my own experiments, let alone have any kind of a social life."

"Being a one-drink-wonder doesn't really help either," remarked Haruka as she exhaled her cigarette smoke.

"Yeah, I was wondering when that exactly happened; it's probably because of the Incident," asked Doc, a little confused at two lengthening human shadows.

"You'll have to tell me about that later, we've got company," replied Haruka, looking towards the sheepish forms of Keitaro's old friends. "What do you two want here?"

"We've come to rent the rooms that are available here," Haitani spoke, never taking his eyes off Haruka.

"Are there any rooms available at the Teahouse?" Shirai added. Doc was slightly confused.

"Don't you live there Haruka?" asked Doc.

"That's why he's asking," Haruka replied, then rose to face the two eyebrow-less men. "There are no rooms available at the Inn, and DEFINITELY none at the Teahouse."

"You're kidding, right?" Shirai asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Nope, last room was filled this morning," Doc said quite plainly.

"Jeez, even after ripping all of fliers off the walls of Tokyo Uni, we STILL can't get rooms here," said Haitani, without thinking.

Shirai makes a hand-across-throat motion to stop Haitani, but he is too late to stop him.

"What's this about ripping the fliers I put up off the walls?" Kanako asked, appearing almost out of nowhere, holding a coil of rope.

"Oh crap," was the last thing the two brow-less men said before Kanako tied them up and gagged them.

-----

Later that afternoon, the DDR tournament was finally about to begin. Daniel walked over to the behemoth, and stood on the pads. "We're all here. It's now time to start the inaugural Hinata Inn DDR Challenge! Would the contestants step forward please. We're doing a competition ladder, so the winners of round 1 will verse each other in round 2, and the winners of round 2 will verse each other in round 3, and so on and so forth, until we reach a clear victor. Standard rules, I'm sure you've all practiced for Heavy mode?"

All members in the common room nod.

"Okay," said Daniel. "Let's get it on."

-ROUND 1-

Doc vs. Daniel While the two are warming up with a round of Super Star from Non-stop, Doc manages to miss the pad, steps on a Mecha Tama, slips, and breaks his ankle. Daniel is declared the victor.

Naru vs. Motoko They commence playing, but it is already clear who the winner is. Motoko has far better reaction times than Naru is, and wins by a huge margin.

Kitsune vs. Shinobu As usual, Kitsune is rather drunk. While drunken DDR is fun to play, and to watch, it's not very good at winning competitions. Thus Shinobu did win.

Mutsumi vs. Su Both are rather skilled, and it's neck and neck until the final 30 seconds of bag, where Mutsumi suffers a dizzy spell and fails. Su wins.

Keitaro vs. Tris It's always a good laugh to watch an uncoordinated player try to play DDR. Unfortunately, said unco person rarely finds it funny. Tris wins in a blazing trial of skill.

Kanako vs. Atomica Both are very skilled, and get very high scores on all the songs. Unfortunately for Kanako, who got Perfect on everything, Atomica got Marvellous, and thus takes the prize.

Daniel looks at the competition tree and notices that there are some discrepancies for the second round, that they are 2 people short. So the two very close calls, Kanako and Mutsumi, get subbed back in for the second round.

-ROUND 2-

Motoko vs. Daniel Although Motoko has some very fast reaction times, it is nothing compared to the level of Daniel's skill. Daniel wins.

Shinobu vs. Su Su goes all out here, must have been on a sugar high or something, because she squeals "IAMHYPERACTIVESU" at the end of every song, after scoring a perfect Marvellous combo. Su wins by a huge margin!

Atomica vs. Tris Some fierce competition here, but it's clear that Atomica is winning, bit by bit. Suddenly, halfway through a song, she stands bolt upright, and collapses. Tris, rather disturbed by the sudden collapse, shrugs and says "It must have been too much of a shock to the system for Atomica," while discreetly pocketing her tazer.

Mutsumi vs. Kanako The two who were granted a second chance battled fiercely. They say that lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, but AGAIN Mutsumi loses due to a dizzy spell. Kanako advances to the next round.

-ROUND 3-

Su vs. Daniel What goes up must come down. Su crashes from her sugar high quite spectacularly. Hyperactive Su is nothing compared to the power of Daniel's skill. Daniel wins by default when she crashes, taking the crowd with her.

Kanako vs. Tris After Tris' dubious win last round, it was quite amazing to see a fair battle this round, with Tris' and Kanako's differences in skill becoming clear halfway through Max 300. Tris wins.

-ROUND 4 - THE FINAL ROUND-

Tris vs. Daniel The crowd goes silent as the two siblings battle their way through. Somehow, only just, Daniel manages to eclipse Tris in A and wins the tournament. Tris is quite angered at this, since this obviously means that she has to pay back the money she took from Daniel, and Daniel gets to keep the $1000. She decides to take it out on Doc instead, plunging her foot into his rather broken ankle.

Meanwhile, Kanako wheels out the two victims.

-----

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make," Kanako spoke to the collected gathering of tenants. "Two men tried to sabotage the advertising process for the room leasing. Keitaro, Doc-san, I believe you know them. Daniel, Tris, Atomica, these are Shirai and Haitani. They tore down the fliers advertising the rooms available."

"Hey guys, how are the burns healing?" Doc quipped. A low grumble emanated from the two men, who were still tied up, and were now in two plastic barrels.

"Kanako-chan, why are they in barrels?" asked Keitaro of his sister.

"It was the decision of the new tenants, brother dear. Instead of having your wife and Motoko-san mete out their punishment, I've agreed to let the barrels decide how they are punished."

Shirai's muffled reply was heard by very few. "You gotta be f-"

-----

Two barrels can be seen rolling down the stairs leading up to the Hinata Inn. As they approached the bottom, you could see that it wasn't just barrels, it was barrels stuffed with people.

When the barrels hit the pavement at the bottom of the stairs, explosives packed in the base detonate and the pair are shot off like a cannon, across the bay, and into the forest, where they strike an oak tree rather heavily and become embedded.

Both wincing in pain, Shirai says to Haitani, "Well, it could have been worse, at least we still have the ability to father children"  
"Speak for yourself," Haitani squeaks, having hit the tree legs first.

----- 


End file.
